puffed up and clucking

Does anything besides broodiness cause a hen to puff up and cluck all the time. I have a barnevelder who is doing just that. She has been doing it for a couple of weeks now. I thought at first it was because she didn't like the attention from the rooster who had just turned 18 weeks and was beginning to pester the hens quite a bit. she seems to do it more when he is around. It always gets his attention and he always goes for her. If she were broody wouldn't she be interested in sitting in the nest boxes? she is still laying and acting normal otherwise. If she is broody how long do they usually act like this before they decide to sit?

Oh you more than likely have a hen that is setting her mind to going setty for surely. I have had hens do the broody cluck for a couple of weeks. Pretty soon, you will see that she has decided that she has laid enough eggs to bother to sit on them. Patience, she will sit I am sure, broody mammas are just cool!! Have an awesome day, CynthiaM.

Ditto with what Cynthia said. I thought it was the funniest sight when it first happened because for two weeks every time I went near my pre-broody hen in the yard or coop she'd puff up and do the chicken growl (like when you reach into a broody hen's nest box to get eggs) and I couldn't figure out what was going on cause she was standing around.........till she set in the nest box and then I knew she was full on broody.

Chickens are such characters. I love this behaviour.